Fall/Winter 2007
California Update
california
Hikers on the Coastal Fire Road enjoy the rolling hills and stunning vistas of the Marin Headlands. © Mark Godfrey/TNC
Pioneering a New Conservation Legacy
On a windy overlook high above Pirate’s Cove, a pack of hikers stop to survey the
view. Far below, a glassy blue sheen of rolling waves stretches for miles. Cameras are
unpacked, arms stretched out and fingers pointed toward the horizon.
This scene unfolds every day in the Marin Headlands, just north of San Francisco.
Thirteen million people visit the Headlands and the Golden Gate National
Recreation Area (GGNRA) annually — more visitors than the Grand Canyon,
Yellowstone or Yosemite.
View of the San Francisco skyline from a trail in
California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
© Mark Godfrey/TNC
But if history had taken a different course 40 years ago, some of the Marin
Headlands’ expansive views might be seen only by the residents of Marincello,
a planned city that would have blanketed these spectacular hills and valleys with
homes, apartment complexes and paved roads.
“Saving the Marin Headlands was a huge citizen effort that the Conservancy helped
make possible,” says Henry Little, a Conservancy veteran. “People came together in
a way that was unprecedented at the time.”
In 1972, after negotiating for six years, the Conservancy succeeded in buying the
2,100-acre Marincello property for $6.5 million. Three years later, we transferred it
to the National Park Service for inclusion in the newly formed GGNRA. Along
with other private and government-owned lands in the Headlands — including
continued on page 3
Protecting Nature,
Preserving Life
“The natural beauty of our forests, our mountains, our seashores and our deserts
is something that could never be recreated or duplicated. There is only one
chance to preserve it — now, while we still have it.”
So wrote a Los Angeles County official to The Nature Conservancy in 1960,
when we were just getting started in California. The message celebrated our
protection of Antelope Valley wildflower and wildlife sanctuaries just north of
Los Angeles.
Lupine is necessary for the survival of the endangered
mission blue, a butterfly species found in the Marin
Headlands and only a few other San Francisco Bay Area
locations. © David H. Wright/USFWS
In the nearly 50 years since then, the Conservancy has led the way in addressing
California’s most pressing conservation concerns. Our projects have evolved
from protecting relatively small but critical parcels of land — places like
Antelope Valley and the Marin Headlands (on the front cover) — to wideranging, innovative efforts that safeguard large landscapes and seascapes for the
benefit of nature and people. So far, we’ve protected more than 1.2 million acres
of land and water in California and another 3.8 million acres of marine habitat
off the coast. And we’ve only just begun.
As the state’s population continues to grow, it becomes even more urgent to
ensure the long-term health of the natural world that sustains us all. Our allies in
achieving this goal are individuals, communities and organizations who, like us,
care about protecting California’s natural beauty and biological diversity.
Contents
Since the late 1950s and early 1960s, our challenges have grown larger and more
complex, and the scope of our work is now global. But some things are still the
same: we have only one chance to preserve our planet’s most precious and vital
natural areas, and we need your help. Thank you for your continued support in
preserving the diversity of life on Earth for future generations.
Pioneering a New
Conservation Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Conservation Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Beyond Our Borders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
California Photo Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Natural Events Almanac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
An Entrepreneur’s
Conservation Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Expressing Ourselves — Our updated look better reflects our bold commitment to
address conservation around the globe with strategies that value the inextricable
link between nature and people.
“The life we are preserving by
protecting nature is not just that of
plants and animals — it is our own.”
- Steve McCormick
President, The Nature Conservancy
2
Conservation Legacy — from page 1
Green Gulch and Slide Ranches, also
protected by the Conservancy — the
Marincello property forms the core of
one of California’s most treasured
natural locales.
Meeting Today’s Challenges
Surveying tree biomass in the Garcia River Forest.
© John Birchard
Did You Know?
The Conservancy’s work has helped
to protect many of the natural
places you know and
love in California, including:
• Anza-Borrego Desert
State Park
• Big Bear and Baldwin Lakes
• Big Sur Coast
• Carrizo Plain National
Monument
The foresight and collaboration that
saved the Marin Headlands exemplified
a new wave of environmental action
that swept the nation in the 1960s and
‘70s. In those transformative years, the
Conservancy began to develop the
strategies and partnerships that are
now its hallmark.
Now, at the beginning of the twentyfirst century, conservation is again at
the forefront of the national mindset.
Scientific consensus says Earth’s lifesustaining natural systems — the oceans,
forests, grasslands and water resources
on which we depend — are being altered
at an unprecedented pace and scale.
To meet these critical conservation
challenges, The Nature Conservancy is
pioneering strategies in California that
address the needs of both nature and
people — strategies that go beyond
traditional land protection to change
the way we take care of our lands, waters
and well-being.
• Coachella Valley Preserve
• Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
• Forest of Nisene Marks
• Henry Coe State Park
• Kern River Preserve
• Montaña de Oro State Park
• Monterey Bay
• Russian River
• Shasta River
• Volcan Mountain
In recent years the Conservancy has
helped protect nearly 24,000 acres of
timberlands near Mendocino. Together
with The Conservation Fund, we’re
transforming the Garcia River Forest
into California’s largest sustainable
timber operation owned and operated by
nonprofits. The forest is also one of 23
sites in the world where we’re conducting
climate change research (see page 5).
“People here are relieved that the
Garcia Forest will be under long-term
conservation management and still
produce timber and jobs for the local
economy,” says Craig Bell, a former
logger who now works to restore the
Garcia River watershed.
Farther south, the Conservancy
collaborated with fishermen and
government regulators to protect 3.8
million acres of ocean habitat off the
Central Coast. By purchasing trawling
permits and boats and working with
fishermen to establish more selective
ways to harvest groundfish, we’re
helping to turn a struggling commercial
fishery into a more sustainable
economic enterprise.
Today’s conservation challenges require
new approaches and broad collaboration.
Projects like the Conservancy’s Garcia
River Forest and California Coastal
and Marine Program demonstrate how
effective conservation can protect our
ecosystems and our economies in a
changing world.
Vision for a Sustainable Future
Back in the Marin Headlands, a few
hikers linger to catch a final glimpse of
the setting sun. All is quiet save the
sound of heavy wings as two red-tailed
hawks soar by.
Thanks to the visionary work of
determined individuals 40 years ago,
the Marin Headlands is not just the site
of another fast-growing California city
but a beloved natural treasure. We at
The Nature Conservancy are proud of
our role in protecting cherished places
like the Marin Headlands, but we are
not content to rest on this legacy. We
must do more. Today we face our biggest
challenge ever: creating a sustainable
future for the natural and human
communities that share planet Earth.
Help us lead the way to a more
sustainable planet — support
The Nature Conservancy today.
3
Conservation Highlights
“Gateway to California” Will Be Forever Wild
Nevada County — Few weekenders driving on I-80 between Truckee and Reno
realize they are barreling through an ecological treasure trove. Tucked away
behind dense stands of Jeffrey pines and incense cedars, the rugged Truckee River
Canyon in California's eastern Sierra Nevada is a haven for wildlife. In June the
Conservancy and eight public and private partners announced the acquisition of
3,344 acres of this scenic canyon. The newly protected area includes seven miles of
the Truckee River and connects the Humboldt-Toiyabe and Tahoe National
Forests, and creates an important corridor for wildlife such as bears, bobcats,
mountain lions and mule deer.
Conservation Plan Awarded $23 Million Grant
San Diego County — A groundbreaking, county-wide program that guides
conservation toward the protection of entire plant and animal communities, rather
than individual species, recently received $23 million in federal funding — the
largest single grant ever made through the Cooperative Endangered Species Fund.
Created ten years ago with significant help from the Conservancy, the Multiple
Species Conservation Plan (MSCP) was the first of its kind in the nation.
Scientists believe this whole-community approach yields more effective, lasting
conservation results. The Conservancy had a significant role in securing the
funding, most of which will be directed to our priorities in the county, such as
the Ramona Grasslands.
One Millionth Seedling Planted Along the Sacramento River
Butte, Colusa, Glenn and Tehama Counties — Twenty years after the Conservancy
began planting cottonwood and willow trees along the banks of the Sacramento, the
river is returning to its historical roots as a lushly forested waterway. Once lined by
half a million acres of riparian forest, the Sacramento lost more than 95 percent of
that rich habitat over the last 150 years. Since 1987 the Conservancy has restored
4,400 acres along the river in one of the largest riparian restoration projects in the
western United States. This year we reached an important milestone: the planting
of the 1 millionth native seedling. The return of western yellow-billed cuckoos is
just one sign our efforts are paying off.
For more information
about these projects
and others, visit
nature.org/california.
A view of the Sacramento River. © Grant Johnson
4
Juvenile bald eagle over Santa Cruz Island.
© Jeffery Wilcox
Winged Comeback
The 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s
Silent Spring spurred a new awareness
about the harmful effects of pesticides
and ignited a firestorm generally
recognized as the birth of the
environmental movement. Forty-five
years later, 2007 is the year Carson
would have turned 100 — and the year
that DDT’s most famous casualty, the
bald eagle, finally came off the
endangered species list.
On June 28, the same day that officials
announced the eagle’s delisting, an
11-week-old bald eagle chick on the
Conservancy’s Santa Cruz Island took
his first flight. This was the third bald
eagle to be born in the wild on Santa
Cruz Island since DDT pollution
extirpated the population in the
mid-twentieth century.
Biologists began reintroducing bald
eagles to Santa Cruz Island in 2002,
bringing in 12 juveniles per year to
reestablish the population. In 2006 and
2007, three chicks were born — the first
to hatch unaided by humans anywhere in
the Channel Islands in half a century.
Biologists are hopeful that these births
signal the bald eagle’s comeback on
Santa Cruz Island.
After a two-year closure to eradicate feral pigs,
Santa Cruz Island's beaches are again open to
the public by permit. Find out more about the
island and our restoration efforts by visiting us
online at nature.org/california.
Beyond Our Borders:
Tackling Climate Change from China to California
Villagers on Mount Khawa Karpo in
the northwest part of China’s Yunnan
Province have varying explanations for
why their sacred Mingyong Glacier
has been disappearing. One man
correlated the retreat of the glacier
with the installation of electricity in a
nearby monastery. Others blame an
increase in visitors.
But the most likely culprit is rising
temperatures, according to Conservancy
climate change scientists. Using
historical climate data and repeat
photography, they found that the
glacier is retreating and the alpine
treeline — already among the highest
in the world — is climbing even higher.
In the mountains of California’s
northern Sierra Nevada, a Conservancyled research team is studying similar
vegetation shifts in an area that has
warmed seven times faster than the
global average. The team established
ecological monitoring plots in the
Tahoe National Forest. Their analysis
will reveal if foothill oak and conifers
are moving up the slopes, crowding
out subalpine species above.
California’s forests are also prime
locations for studying carbon storage.
The state’s redwoods and mixed
conifers store some of the most carbon
per acre of any forest type on Earth.
In the Tahoe National Forest and
Garcia River Forest (see page 3), the
Conservancy is evaluating the ability of
China's Mingyong Glacier. © Deng Jia
technologies such as high-resolution
satellite imagery and LIDAR (Light
Detection and Ranging) to measure
tree biomass. With deforestation causing
an estimated 20 percent of global
greenhouse gas emissions, the ability
to measure and monitor carbon stored
in forests will help ensure that forest
conservation is part of our response
to climate change.
Innovative research is just one way the
Conservancy is addressing climate
change. Adaptation work in California
and China is leading to new tools and
strategies that will help land managers
respond to and lessen the harmful
impacts of climate change. We’re also
engaging in state, national and
international policy efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and develop
market-based incentives that
encourage the preservation and
restoration of forests.
Addressing climate change is one of
The Nature Conservancy’s top
priorities. Find out more about what
we’re doing — visit us online at
nature.org/climatechange.
Around the globe, rising temperatures and changing patterns of rain and snow are
shifting trees and shrubs into polar regions and up mountain slopes.
By studying these vegetation shifts, scientists are gaining a better understanding
of the impacts of climate change — and how we can adapt.
5
From redwood groves and glittering coastlines to sun-baked deserts and snow-fed rivers, California is one of the
most beautiful places in the world. These rich habitats sustain a remarkable diversity of plant, animal and human
communities. By protecting millions of acres of California’s irreplaceable lands and waters, The Nature
Conservancy is creating a natural legacy that will inspire and sustain future generations.
For more stunning images of California’s natural treasures, experience our photo essay at nature.org/california/beauty.
— John C. Sawhill, president of
The Nature Conservancy 1990 – 2000
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed,
and to have my senses put in order.”
—John Burroughs
Wish You Were Here:
A Natural Events Almanac
Santa Rosa Plateau
Native grasslands, wetlands, coastal
sage scrub, chaparral and dramatic
stands of rare Englemann oak still
survive on the Santa Rosa Plateau,
much as they did for centuries. But 20
years ago, the booming population of
Riverside County threatened to
fragment this fragile landscape. In 1984
the Conservancy acquired its first
3,100 acres here. Today, the reserve
encompasses 8,300 acres and attracts
more than 65,000 visitors a year.
Vernal pools are the highlight of a visit
to the plateau. In wintertime, these
seasonal wetlands harbor green-winged
teals, mallards, grebes, whimbrels and
other migratory waterfowl. As the rainy
season ends, colorful wildflower
displays explode around the pools’
edges. Naturalists offer hiking and
biking tours on Saturdays. Contact the
visitor center to reserve a spot.
For more information:
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve
[951] 677.6951
Heath and Marjorie Angelo
Coast Range Reserve
In 1959 The Nature Conservancy made
its first purchase west of the Mississippi
— 3,100 acres of mixed evergreen and
hardwood forest along the South Fork
of the Eel River. Today the Angelo
property is part of a 7,915-acre living
laboratory managed by the University
of California’s Natural Reserve System.
A resource for students and scientists,
the reserve is also open to the public
for day hikes. Trails wind along the
8
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. © Stephen Francis
numerous creeks that feed into the Eel.
Under towering redwoods and Douglasfirs, a lush understory shelters ringtails,
voles, Pacific giant salamanders and
many other forest inhabitants. Listen
and watch for pileated woodpeckers
and northern spotted owls.
For more information:
Angelo Coast Range Reserve
[707] 984.6653
Visitors can enjoy the preserve’s
dramatic beauty by hiking on 20 miles of
trails. Keen eyes might spot roadrunners,
cactus wrens, gnatcatchers and perhaps
even the endangered fringe-toed lizard,
found nowhere else on Earth. From
October through April, the visitor center
is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
For more information:
Coachella Valley Preserve
[760] 343.2733
Coachella Valley Preserve
The quintessential desert oasis — lush
palms surrounding deep pools of spring
water — isn’t found only in movies.
Located 100 miles east of Hollywood, the
Coachella Valley Preserve is home to 11
palm oases and is itself an oasis in a sea of
development. Saved by the Conservancy
and its partners in the early 1980s, the
preserve’s delicate sand dune ecosystem
today covers more than 20,000 acres.
The Nature Conservancy has
protected more than 1.2 million
acres in California. For information
on visiting these and other beautiful
places the Conservancy has
helped save, visit us online at
nature.org/california/explore.
Photos on previous pages: Anza-Borrego © Richard Herrmann. Inset from left: Sierra Foothills © Gary Crabbe/Enlightened Images Photography;
coastline north of Monterey © Lynn Mc Bride/TNC; Carrizo Plain © Darin Busby; and Fairfield Osborn Preserve © Mark Godfrey/TNC.
An Entrepreneur’s Conservation Legacy
California
Board of Trustees
2007–2008
Norman F. Sprague III, M.D.
Chair, Los Angeles
David H. Anderson, Santa Barbara
Theresa L. Bucher, Los Angeles
Lauren B. Dachs, San Francisco
Bryant Danner, Flintridge
Frank W. Davis, Santa Barbara
Anne G. Earhart, Corona del Mar
Keith A. Johnson, Rancho Santa Fe
Charlene Kabcenell, Portola Valley
William C. Landreth, Carmel
Don J. McGrath, San Francisco
James C. Morgan, Santa Clara
Julie Packard, Monterey
Mary E. Power, Berkeley
Arthur D. Riggs, La Verne
Alan Seelenfreund, San Francisco
Christopher Silbermann, Santa Monica
Gene T. Sykes, Los Angeles
Barton H. Thompson, Jr., Stanford
Ann-Marie Villicana, Pasadena
Trustees Emeriti
Frederick E. Balderston
Camilla Chandler Frost
Walter B. Gerken
William (Bill) L. Horton
Thomas V. Jones
Jon B. Lovelace
Donn B. Miller
John D. Weeden
Nearly one hundred miles
inland from the Pacific’s
pounding surf, iridescent
flashes in the Shasta River
reveal salmon swimming
upstream to spawn in one
of the Klamath Basin’s
most important nurseries.
Overhead, migrating
Canada geese prepare to
land for an essential
stopover on their journey
along the Pacific Flyway.
Nelson Ranch with Mount Shasta in the background. © Chuck Nelson
To preserve this important habitat, the
Conservancy, along with generous
support from The J.M. Long Foundation,
purchased the 1,704-acre Nelson
Ranch and established The Joseph M.
Long Shasta Valley Research Station to
encourage collaborative study of the
region’s diverse ecosystems.
expectations — beyond preserving an
important piece of land, this project is
catalyzing scientific research and
pragmatic, innovative solutions.”
The ranch had been grazed for many
years. Now, by allowing conservationcompatible grazing to continue, the
Conservancy is helping to deliver a
solution of both ecological and
economic value for the salmon fishery,
migratory waterfowl and the local
ranching community.
Born in 1912, Joseph M. Long grew up
in rural northern California. An avid
outdoorsman and waterfowl hunter, he
developed a deep respect for nature
and our own responsibility to conserve
it. Long went on to become a successful
entrepreneur — the national line of
drug stores bears the family name —
and a pragmatic philanthropist,
establishing The J.M. Long Foundation
to support his interests in conservation,
health care and education.
“This is the kind of investment my
grandfather would have made — one
that protects important habitat but
incorporates the needs of the local
community,” explains Nick Piediscalzi,
grandson of Joseph M. Long and
foundation board member. “The return
on our investment has far exceeded our
Safeguarding the Nelson Ranch marks
the beginning of the Conservancy’s
efforts to restore the Shasta Valley and
find solutions that benefit the region’s
natural and human communities. “I know
my grandfather would be very proud
and happy to have helped conserve this
special place,” says Piediscalzi.
The Nature Conservancy
California Program
201 Mission Street, 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
tel: [415] 777.0487
fax: [415] 777.0244
nature.org/california
email: calweb@tnc.org
“We go through this life but once. If there is anything
we can do, or help that we can give, let us do it now,
because we may not pass this way again.”
—J.M. Long
9
“America looks to California
as its bellwether, as the place
where new lifestyles and
attitudes begin.”
In This Issue:
Oregon
5
Sacramento
River
Golden Gate
National
Recreation Area
Tahoe
National Truckee
Forest River
Lake
Tahoe
80
- Historian Kevin Starr
Nevada
Look inside to see how The Nature Conservancy in
California is answering this challenge by pioneering
innovative strategies to address the needs of nature
and people.
Sacramento
qui
Joa
San
99
nR
.
101
By printing California Update with vegetablebased inks on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
made with windmill energy, we saved:
Las
Vegas
5
California
N
E A
O C
15
Santa Cruz
Island
5
40
Coachella
Los Angeles Valley Preserve
10
Santa Rosa Plateau
Ecological Reserve
San Diego
County
Salton
Sea
15
San Diego
Colo
rado R .
I C
P A C I F
San
Francisco
mento R .
Sacra
Coast Range
Reserve
Nelson
Ranch
172 trees
8,037 lbs. of landfill
15,079 lbs. of greenhouse gas emissions
62,590 gallons of water
120 million BTUs of energy
8
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